-- Linebacker James Harrison, on whether he was happy to see snow falling before Sunday's game: "I like playing on grass, mud -- anything that slows down an offense."

-- Safety Troy Polamalu and Chargers running back Ladainian Tomlinson ran into each other a few times on Sunday, leading a reporter to ask Polamalu whether he thought of the Nike commercial that depicts the two players from childhood through the pros, ending with a hard collision in a fictional game.

"I'm glad we didn't hit each other on the sidelines," Polamalu said, "because in real life he probably would have run me over."

-- Kicker Jeff Reed, who made three-of-four field goals in wet, blistery conditions, missing a 51-yard attempt wide left: "It's all about trying not to slip. ... You can't totally attack the ball. You can do that on a kickoff because if you slip it turns into a power squib and you can deal with that. But you can't afford to do that on a field goal."

-- Matt Spaeth filled in again at tight end for injured starter Heath Miller and caught six passes for 55 yards.

"The thing is that people think he's just the backup," Roethlisberger said of the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Spaeth, a third round pick in 2007 out of Minnesota. "Speath and Heath are both like starting tight ends, it just depends on what formation we start the game in. He's done a great job stepping in in our no-huddle offense."

-- Tomlin was clearly annoyed at the officiating. The Steelers were penalized 13 times for 115 yards. The Chargers were flagged twice for five yards.

Tomlin opened his press conference by saying he would not comment on the officiating.

"I have never seen a game with 13-1 (actually 13-2) penalties," Tomlin said. "I am not answering questions about the officiating."

-- Hines Ward, on finishing off a win at home after losing their last two games at Heinz Field: "We did need it. It was big to win. Now we're 7-3. In the month of November, teams are starting to separate themselves from the rest. It's a great win, considering when you look back at the Indianapolis game, we felt we had that game."

-- San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers, on his late first-half interception to James Harrison that set up a Steelers field goal: "it's one of those you can't really explain. It just kind of stayed in my hand too long, I had Vincent (Jackson) there on what I think might have been a touchdown (or) at least would have had us down inside the five, Really just a poor throw. Really no other explanation for it other than the ball got away from me."

-- Tidbits: The Steelers improved to 13-0 all-time against the Chargers in Pittsburgh, their best regular-season record against any opponent. ... The Steelers are 6-1 in the AFC. ... The Steelers had a 100-yard rusher (Willie Parker), a 100-yard receiver (Ward) and a 300-yard passer (Roethlisberger) for the first time since Dec. 18, 2004, against the New York Giants. ... The Steelers had two sacks gives them 36, equaling their 2007 total.

-- John Dudley